Envelop moistener and sealer.



No. 639,314; Patented Dec. l9, I899.

- I H. A. THEXTON.

ENVELOP HOISTENEB AND SEALER.

(Application filed Nov. 4, 1898.)

(No Model.)

llirn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. THEXTON, OF ST. THOMAS, NORII-I DAKOTA.

ENVELOP MOISTENER AND SEALER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 639,314, dated December 19, 1899. Application filed November 4, 1898- Serial No. 695,507. (No model.)

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. THEXTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of S t.Thomas, Pembina county,North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelop Moisteners and Sealers, of which the following is a specificatiOIl.

My invention relates to machines by which envelops can be sealed by first moistenin g the gum on the flap and by then pressing the flap firmly against the body portion of the envelop.

It relates in particular to the type of envelop moistener and sealer shown, described, and claimed inmy Patent No. 611,873,granted and issued to me October 4:, 1898.

Prominent objects of my present invention are to prevent the flap of the envelop from being sealed in a puckered or displaced position, which occasionally happened in the machine as constructed in my said patent, to simplify the construction and manner of repairing the machine or replacing its parts, to reduce to a minimum its cost of manufacture and maintenance, and to improve certain of its details in a way to render its action more elficient and satisfactory.

To the attainment of these and other desirable ends my invention consists in matters hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of an envelop moistener and sealer embodying my present invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a plan and a front View of the same. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a detail construction, and Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively longitudinal and transverse sections of said detail of construction on a larger scale.

The envelop moistener and sealer which I have illustrated in the drawings of this application is the type or style of machine shown in my said patent. Inasmuch as Ihave claimed the broader features of this machine in that patent, it will be understood that in this application I will not claim such features, but will claim only certain matters of improvement shown herein. It will be understood, however, that these matters of improvement I consider applicable to other types of machines of this class, and so do not wish to be understood as confining myself to their application to this machine. In its broader features my invention contemplates the moistening of the gum on the envelop-flap when the flap is in position over or above the body portion of the envelop-that is to say, when the flap is open only to'such an extent that it forms an acute angle with the body portion. In this way the flap could be subsequently sealed without the intervention of any intermediate devices for placing it into position over or above the body part. Furthermore, in this way the machine is practical and successful in its operation. As a preferred arrangement the flap is moistened in a nearly-closed or only slightly-opened condition-that is to say, opened to such a slight extent that the angle formed by it is very.

small. In this way the envelop can be fed to the machine in the nearly-closed condition in which it is naturally left after the insertion of the inclosure, while at the same time the extent of movement necessary to close the envelop is a minimum. To the attainment of this end the type or style of envelop moistener and sealer shown in the drawings comprises a flat horizontal bed or table A, upon which the envelop can be placed with its flap in position over or above its body part and along which it can be slid to be moistened, a moistening device B, which is adapted to moisten the gum on the envelop-flap when the latter is in position over or above its body part and which is supported in position over or above the bed or table A to an extent to afford sufficient space for the body part of the envelop to pass below it, a couple of feed-rollers O G or like feeding devices, which are arranged in position the one above the other and are adapted to receive the body part of the envelop between them and feed it in a rearward direction, and a pair of sealing-rollers D D or like sealing devices, which are likewise arranged the one above the other and are adapted to receive the envelop from the feed-rollers G C and press the flap against the body part thereof in such a firm manner as to securely seal the former to the latter. The sealing-rollers D D incidentally act also to discharge the envelop after it has been sealed.

The upper feed-roller O is shorter than the lower feed-roller C, as best shown in Fig. 3,

so as to afford space which the flap of the envelop can occupy as it proceeds in position over or above the body part thereof. As a preferred arrangement a conical roller 0 is arranged in position at the end of this upper feed-roller O. This conical roller 0 is so constructed that its lower sufface is upwardly and inwardly inclined in correspondence with the inclination of the envelop-flap with reference to its body part. Itis con veniently made integral with the feed-roller C. By such arrangement the conical roller acts to hold the envelop-flap in an inclined position above the body of the envelop and also to press slightly down upon the same and to assist it in passing the moistening device, while the roller O serves to feed the envelop by acting upon its body part.

The bed or table A is suitably secured at the forward end of the casing E, which forms the body-frameof the machine, and the feedrollers O C and sealing rollers D D are mounted in suitable bearings F F and F F in said casing E. The upper feed-roller Oand upper sealing-roller D are desirably mounted movably and elastically by the use of suitable springs, so as to allow an extent of vertical movement sufficient to accommodate the different thicknesses of different envelops. The

feed-rollers G C or sealing-rollers D D are connected so as to rotate in unison by a suitble power-transmitting connection-as, for example, the sprocket-chain G, traveling over sprocket-wheels II II, mounted, respectively, on the lower feed-roller O and the lower sealing-roller D. These feed and sealin g rollers G O and D D can be driven so as to automatically feed and seal the envelops by any suitablepowerconnection. Forexample,they may be driven by a crank-handle M, shown attached to the lower feed-roller C.

In accordance with my present invention the moistening device B is situated forward of the feed-rollers C and O. In this way the action of the feed-rollers upon the body part of the envelop occurs at such a point therein that the envelop is drawn instead of being pushed over the moistening device and also occurs entirely independently of the action of the conical roller 0 As a result the flap is not puckered or displaced with reference to the body part and sealed in such condition, as occasionally happened in the machine constructed as shown in my said patent. In this way also the moistening occurs at a greater distance from the feed-rollers and so allows more space for the flap to move into contact with the body part of the envelop.

My invention contemplates the use of any variety or style of moistening device B capable of moistening the gum on the envelop-flap when the latter is in position over or above the body part thereof. The device shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, which I consider a matter of further and specific improvement, involves a water-reservolrb, having an inclined end, and

a wick b, which is arranged within the reser voir Z) in such a way that a portion of its length is exposed through a slot in the inclined end thereof. This wick h is made in the form of a long loop, Figs. 5 and 6, which is inserted above the shelf 13 in the reservoir and an end portion which extends from the upper end of the loop portion downward into the water of the reservoir. The loop portion of the wick is held spread apart by a wire b which is bent double, so that it tends to spring apart and stretch the loop portion of the wick. This reservoir 1) is conveniently supported in position above the bed or table A by suspend ing it from the overhanging portion e of the casing E. A simple arrangement is to provide the reservoir b with a standard I), rising from its upper surface, and to employ a thumb-screw b for securing this standard 19 to the overhanging portion a. By providing the standard I) with a slot 1) the reservoir can be suitably adjusted'at various heights above the bed or table A for the accommodation of different varieties of envelops.

It will be observed that the style of moistening device herein illustrated involves an upwardly facing moistening surface, with which the downwardly-facing gummed portion of the flap makes contact. wardly-facing moistening-surface can obviously be provided by styles of moistening device other than that shown.

As a matter of still further improvement the flap of the envelop is held against the moistening device by a suitable abutment, such as the foot J. Where the moistening device employed is a reservoir having an exposed wick, such as that shown, this foot Jis made with a straight lower edge, which can be disposed in position immediately above the wick. It is also bent or curved forwardly above this straight lower edge, as best shown in Fig. 1, so as to avoid the scraping of the flap. This foot J is conveniently secured to the standard 5 by a screw at its inner end. In such case it can be adjusted for the removal and replacement or adjustment of the wick.

It will be observed that the combined reservoir and footJ form an adjustable and detachable part of the machine, which can be adjusted or detached at will.

As a matter of still further improvement I provide a device for pressing the envelop-flap downward against the body part thereof at a point forward of the sealing-rollers D D. In this way the flap is moved so near to the body part of theenvelop that the sealing-rollers do not pucker or displace it in acting upon it. A simple and effective device for this purpose is that shown in the drawings. This comprises a roller K, supported in position above the rear portion of the bed or table A by a depending bracket L, which has its upper end secured to the top of the casing E and which is made springy, so as to permit the rise and fall of the roller K, as required by the vary- This upthe machine.

It will be observed that by the employment of the improvements herein set forth I acquire a more efficient, effective, and satisfactory embodiment of my invention.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In adevice of the class specified, the com bination of a platform upon which the envelop can be slid; a moistening device having an upwardly-facing moisteningsurface adapted to moisten the envelop-flap when the envelop is slid along the platform with the flap above the body; a support for holding the moistening device in position above the platform, so as to allow the body of the envelop to pass between said device and the platform; an abutment secured in position above the moistening-surface of the moistening device, and

substantially against such surface, so as to hold the flap in contact-therewith; feed devices situated in the rear of the moistening device and adapted to act upon the body of the envelop and to allow the flap to proceed in an elevated condition; and devices adapted for sealing the fiap to the body, and situated in the rear of the feeding devices.

2. In a device of the class specified, the combination of the reservoir provided with a wick having an exposed portion, and also provided with a standard I) having a slot 1); a screw adapted to fit in said slot b; a foot J arranged above the reservoir and constructed with a straight lower edge, and also with a portion which extends to the standard b and a screw for securing said portion to the standard.

3. In adevice of the class specified, the combination of the platform along which the envelop can he slid; a moistening device provided with an upwardly-facing moisteningsurface, and supported above the platform, whereby the envelop-flap can be moistened while in position over or above its body; feeding devices adapted to act upon the envelopbody, and to allow the flap to proceed in an elevated position; a device for pressing the flap downward toward the envelop-body after the flap has been moistened; a support adapt ed'for holding said flap closing device above the platform and'made yielding or elastic so as to permit the device to accommodate envelops of various thicknesses, and means for sealing the flap to the body.

4. In a device of the class specified, the combination of the platform along which the envelop can be slid; a moistening device adapted to moisten the envelop-flap when the same is in position over or above the body; feeding-rollers adapted to act upon the envelop body and to allow the flap to proceed in an elevated condition; rollers for sealing the flap to the body; a roller arrangedin position above the platform and forward of the sealing-rollers, for pressing downward upon the flap; and an elastic support for holding such roller in position.

5. A device of the class specified, comprising a casing provided with a platform; feeding and scaling rollers, whereof the upper feeding-roller has a conical section; a moistening device consisting of a reservoir provided with a wick having an upwardly-facing moistening-surface; an abutment secured to the reservoir above the wick thereof; a support for holding the reservoir in position above the platform and forward of the feed rollers; and a pressure device for pressing the envelop-flap downward toward the body, said device being arranged in position between the moistening device and the sealingrollers.

In a machine of the class specified, a moistening device comprising a reservoir hav ing an inclined end, there beinga slot in said end, and an inclined shelf below such slot; a wick consisting of a loop portion adapted for insertion above said shelf in the reservoir, and an end portion adapted to extend into the water in the same; and a wire bent double and adapted for insertion within said loop portion of the wick.

Signed by me, at Chicago, Illinois, this 1st day of November, 1898.

HENRY A. THEXTON.

Witnesses:

A. .MILLER BELFIELD, L. M. BULKLEY. 

